h, "to raise his apostolic voice and pronounce the dogmatic decree of
the _Immaculate Conception_." The Pope, bowing his head, gladly welcomed
the petition; but wished once more to invoke the aid of the Holy Ghost.
Then rising from his throne, he intoned in a clear and firm voice, which
rang through the grand Basilica, the _veni creator spiritus_. All who were
present, cardinals, bishops, priests and people, mingled their voices with
that of the Father of the Faithful, and the sonorous tones of the heavenly
hymn resounded through the spacious edifice. Silence came. All eyes were
rivetted on the venerable Pontiff. His countenance appeared to be
transfigured by the solemnity of the act in which he was engaged. And now,
in that firm and grave, but mild and majestic, tone of voice, the charm of
which was known to so many millions, he began to read the Bull, which
announced the sublime dogma of the Immaculate Conception. It established,
in the first place, the theological reasons for the belief in the
privilege of Mary. It then appealed to the ancient and universal
traditions of both the Eastern and the Western churches, the testimony of
the religious orders, and of the schools of theology, that of the Holy
Fathers and the Councils, as well as the witness borne by Pontifical acts,
both ancient and more recent. The countenance of the Holy Father showed
that he was deeply moved, as he unfolded these magnificent documents. He
was obliged, several times, so great was his emotion, to stop.
"Consequently," he continued, "after having offered without ceasing, in
humility and with fasting, our own prayers and the public prayers of the
church to God the Father through His Son, that He would deign to guide and
confirm our mind by the power of the Holy Ghost, after we had implored the
aid of the whole host of heaven, to the glory of the Holy and Undivided
Trinity, for the honor of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of
the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian religion; by the
authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed apostles Peter and
Paul, and by our own"--at these words the Holy Father's voice appeared to
fail him, and he paused to wipe away his tears. The audience was, at the
same time, deeply moved; but, dumb from respect and admiration, they
waited in deepest silence. The venerable Pontiff resumed in a strong
voice, which shortly rose to a tone of enthusiasm: "We declare, pronounce
and define, that the